Why
by Vertiigo
Summary: After the death of his beloved dog Pabu, Bolin doesn't know what to do. No one seems to genuinely care and he feels alone, that is until a new student arrives. High school fic. Please review, I'm new to writing fanfics/writing in general and any help would be appreciated.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: This story will be a BolinxIroh fic, either as a friendship or fluffy romance (this is my first real ff so bear with me). Not quite sure yet, but I'm going to leave the catergory under romance. If anyone thinks I should do otherwise please comment saying so. I apologize to any dog or Pabu lovers :c**  
**Also I apologize for any grammar or spelling mistakes.**  
**I tried to keep them in character but I'm worried Bolin and Mako may be a bit OOC. Please PLEASE leave a review telling me what you think and if I should upload more. I have about three more chapters written but I'll only post them if people want me to. **  
**Er, I think that's all I wanted to say here...**

"Pabu! Pabu where are you?"

Running frantically down the street was a boy about the age of sixteen. He was slightly chubby, though much more fit than most people thought. His arms were muscular from years of boxing in school, which he prided himself in. It was one of the few things he considered himself to be good at.  
What Bolin was doing at the moment however was not something he was good at, which was running. Panting heavily as sweat dripped down his face he called out again,

"PABU! God please where are you?!" The anxiety gnawing at his stomach grew stronger every second that his beloved dog was missing. Pabu was everything to him, he was all he had left besides his brother.

Running through the familiar forested area he continued yelling into the warm evening air. The sun was starting to set and he'd been out for over three hours searching. It just wasn't normal for Pabu to go missing this long, the only other time he got out Pabu had just gone on their normal walk. Through this exact same forest and back. However he had run this forest seven times now looking for him with no luck. Bolin didn't know how much more he had left in him to keep looking. Maybe Pabu would be there when he got home, just waiting for him to get back. Yeah that had to be it. Everything had to be okay. He kept telling himself that, trying to ease the anxiety.

Before turning around he stopped for a moment near a bench to catch his breath. Sitting down he ran his fingers through his black sweat drenched hair. It was a twilight dark by now and the trees had gone from a pleasant leafy beauty to morbidly dark shadows filled with who knows what. Not very excited about staying out much longer he stood turning in the direction home was. Before taking a single step however, a faint whimpering reached his ears. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up and he turned. Oh please no.

A mangled creature stood behind him, blood soaked it's once grey, matted fur around the neck and hindquarters, it's right eye was missing and the same side of it's face was shredded to the point that Bolin could see part of it's skull.  
It was Pabu. Oh god it was Pabu. His tail flicked to the side upon seeing his owner in a half-hearted tail wag; before the dog partially laid, partially fell, onto its side with a weak whine of pain.

Bolin couldn't take, his system physically rejected what he saw before him and he vomited before collapsing onto all fours next to his lifelong friend.

"P-Pabu, Pabu please no, no, no, no, NO! Please, I-it's okay. You're going to be okay. This isn't happening, this can't be happening." Pure horror was on his face as he slowly reached over to his dog. Pabu's tail remained still and no whimper escaped him as Bolin shakily placed his hand on his rust stained scruff.

He was dead. Pabu was dead.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: So I decided to post the second chapter, thanks for the review and follows guys! Reviews mean the most and will keep me motivated to write this, I still don't know how I feel about the story in general so I would really love feedback :)**

Bolin sat holding Pabu in limp arms. His eyes were glazed over. Lines of dried salt went down his face where tears once ran. He felt too empty and shocked to cry now though. His hands were covered in dried blood, and his right continued to stroke Pabu's red soaked hair.  
The sun had disappeared a while ago leaving Bolin in the dark with only a moon to light the forest.

Pabu's body had long since gone cold. The combined smell of blood and vomit in the air was enough to make someone gag. Bolin could care less though. His friend was gone and he had nothing. It might seem silly to be so broken over the death of a mere animal but he was. He loved Pabu more than anything.

A bird fluttered across the path, startling the grieving boy and snapping him out of his trance-like state. Blinking his dry eyes as he focused on the scene in front of him, immediately he was hit with the realization that his dog was forever, and truly dead. It nearly turned his stomach again, combined with the smell in the air it took all his will to not be sick. He almost instantly jerked back behind his mental shield. It was just too much for him to handle right then.

He knew needed to leave, he had no idea how long he had been there but he was cold, tired, numb, and needed to go home.  
No way was he going to leave Pabu behind though.

Standing and lifting the limp, slack-jawed body of the mixed-breed dog, he turned and headed to his house. It was somewhat difficult to navigate in the dark, as he could barely see the ground, but he was familiar enough with the area to not get lost.  
Not long after he started walking he approached the street and quickened his pace. As he adjusted his grip on the maimed animal his left foot hit the edge of a curb and he fell with a gasp of surprise. Skidding across the sidewalk on his knees and with his right arm trapped beneath him, he heard the muffled thunk of Pabu's skull as the limp body flew out of his reach; landing partially in the gutter directly in front of him.

That sound made Bolins skin crawl and he cringed. His arm and knees screamed in pain as he mechanically sat up quickly. Standing he walked over to Pabu's corpse and lifted it back into his bloody arms. The rest of the walk home his mind was in a daze; almost completely unaware of his surroundings and running on auto-pilot.

"B-Bolin?" A shocked voice penetrated the fog he was in. Looking around he realized he was standing in front of the house his brother and he shared. It was small, messy, and the vomit yellow walls were stained in some places. It was a house, but Bolin would never consider it a home.

"Where were you I-" he stopped, glancing at Bolin and the thing in his arms as his eyes widened in horror.  
Blood stained Bolin's shirt and pants. His arms were covered in the now dry liquid and some was smeared across his face. His eyes were swollen and dead looking, dark circles under them, almost like he had been punched. Both knees on his pants had been ripped open and Mako could see a bit of blood dripping down the exposed flesh. Deep scraps covered his right arm. The whole situation reminded him of a horror movie.

Worst of all was what he was holding. It took a moment to recognize the bloody mess of a creature. But once he did his mouth opened and he struggled to find words.

"I just- I couldn't-" Bolin stuttered out before breaking into tears again and slumping against his brother.

"Shit." Was all Mako managed to say as he rubebd the younger boy on the back, in what he hoped was a comforting manner. Deciding that actions spoke louder than words, he moved to gently tried to pry the bloody thing out of his brothers arms. Bolin's tear stained face didn't change but he glanced at his brother and tightened his grip on the once beloved animal.  
Deciding not to push him right then, he instead grabbed Bolins arm gently and led him inside to their small grubby bathroom.

It took several minutes to convince his brother to let him have the dog. Though as soon as he had it he grabbed one of the bathroom towels and quickly wrapped it around the body; hoping Bolin would calm down a bit with it out of direct view.  
It wrenched Mako's heart to see his brother cry like this. He didn't know what happened to that dog, but it must have been violent, and he hoped Bolin hadn't been subjected to seeing it. He had tried not to look too closely at the animal but it was hard to miss the claw marks to its face, it must have been a large creature that attacked it.

Setting the towel covered remains on the floor right outside the bathroom door, he then moved on to deal with more pressing matters; taking care of his brother.

Leaving the room he retrieved the first aid kit. Taking out a pair of tweezers he meticulously picked the gravel out of Bolins arm and knees, both of them were silent the entire time. The cuts on his knees weren't too serious, however the scraps in his arm were long and deep. Finally with all the debris cleared he was able to disinfect the wounds with peroxide. His brother winced at the sting but otherwise had no reaction.  
Washing his hands and putting the kit away he turned and looked at the green eyed boy.

The poor kid was sitting on the edge on the bath, palms facing upward on his lap as he stared downward, a seemingly endless amount of tears continued running down his expressionless face.

"Bolin..." He said softly. He was ignored, or maybe Bolin was too far gone in despair to hear him.

"Hey." He placed his hand on his right shoulder. Startled, Bolin looked up.

"Y-yeah?" He spoke quietly, his voice flat and low. Making it difficult for Mako to hear him. That alone was concerning, his brother always spoke loudly and with a genuinely joyful tone. This Bolin sounded fake. Like a mask. It was terrifying.

"We need to get you cleaned up. Take a shower and I'll get you some clean clothes and bandages. Can you do that?" He didn't want to come off as bossy but Mako was always the type of person who felt better when something was getting done. He was never good with crying either.  
Bolin nodded before rubbing his eyes with his bloody hands and standing.

"Okay..."


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Hey guys, thanks again to anyone who reviewed/will review or followed. You guys are awesome! This chapter is a bit long and after today they'll probably start coming out quiet a bit more slowly. Though if I get a few more reviews or something it would probably motivate me more because I know people actually want me to write this**  
**xD it's probably not that great but unless people think it's terrible I'd like to continue it.**

After leaving and quietly shutting the door behind him Mako walked down the hall to Bolins messy room.  
The walls were the same shade of nasty yellow as the rest of the inside of the house. The only difference was that they were covered with posters of famous boxers and various video games. A few postcards from old friends were tacked up as well. Half of the blankets on the bed were thrown partially on the floor and a very small inexpensive TV sat to Mako's left.

Moving to the dresser he flipped a few of drawers open, searching for Bolins usual blue and white striped pajamas. Looking through them quickly as to try and avoid violating his brothers privacy too much, his eyes glanced across a picture of them and their parents and he stopped. It was their family before the car accident, sitting right on top of the exact pair of pajamas he had been looking for. He stared at it. Mako had hidden away all memory of their parents not long after the incident; it was simply to painful to see every day. It was weird for him to look at this photo. They had gone fishing and Bolin was struggling to hold a fish half his size, while Mako and their parents laughed. They were so young. Bolin was about four while he was around seven. That meant this was less than a year from the car wreck. He also realized this was about two years before they got Pabu as a seven week old puppy. The poor thing had been hiding on their grandparents porch as rain poured outide when Bolin and he had been living with them. Its slightly curly grey fur had been soaked and the puppy was shaking violently from the cold.  
They took him in and Bolin was the one to name him Pabu; after a made up character in a story their dad used to tell them.

Mako hadn't realized it until a tear dripped down his face, that he had been on the verge of crying while looking at the picture. Which was strange as he usually refused to shed so much as this tear. He was smiling at the same time though. These were good memories. Wiping his eye he picked up the pajamas along with some underwear (not something he had wanted to touch, ever) and put the picture back in the drawer.

Leaving the room and shutting the door behind him, Mako walked into the kitchen after placing the clothes outside the bathroom door and yelling to let Bolin know they were there. He had decided to make him some food before he got out of the shower. He hoped his brother was okay in there and had at least calmed down a bit.  
Mako was dying to find out what happened but he knew better than to start asking questions when he was in such a fragile state.  
Even if he refused to eat it would still be good to give him the option. He made Bolins favorite: an omelet with slices of hot dog inside, and ketchup (Mako could never understand the hot dog part, but Bolin loved it).  
He placed a plate over it too keep the food warm while he ate a peanut butter and honey sandwich.  
Once that was finished he searched around under the counters until he found the gauze and badages. They left them in there instead of the first aid kit because Bolin had a habit of cutting himself when trying to help Mako cook.

The food had just began to cool when he heard the water turn off and the door open as the clothes were grabbed.  
A minute later a cleaner, but still ravaged looking Bolin walked into the kitchen.

"What's that smell?"

"Just a bit of food, I made some incase you were hungry."  
As soon as he said that Bolin realized that Mako was right, he was starving. He had missed dinner and ate only a small lunch, which was many hours ago.

"Oh, thanks... What time is it?"

"Almost one."

"AM? Wow. I didn't realize..."

"Its okay, you're home now and you're safe, who cares what time it is."

"But you have work tomorrow." He looked down, feeling guilty that he made his brother worry so much.

Just remembering that Mako felt a bit of dread form in the pit of his stomach. He was not looking forward to waking up in four hours.

He didn't want to let let Bolin know how he felt though. So he shrugged and said,

"Its alright man, I got plenty of sleep yesterday." That was a lie. In fact he was up most of the night talking to his girlfriend on the phone and planning their next date.

"Okay... Sorry though, I didn't mean to freak you out. So uh, what did you make?" The green eyed brother asked quietly.

"Your favorite omelet... Ah shit I forgot you liked it with easy-Mac on the side. Sorry man."

His eyes widened in surprise. He hadn't had that in forever, and for a moment he forgot that he was sad.

"Really? Jeez you didn't have to, but whoa thanks! It'll be just as delicious without the Mac."

Mako was glad to see his brothers face light up for a moment. It was much better than how he looked before.  
Glancing at his arm he quickly stopped him, and made him wait while he wrapped the gauze, along with some antibacterial cream on his arm, and put a few large bandaides on his knees. At least this way he wouldn't hurt himself more or bleed on anything.

After that he handed the plate to him he watched with some amusement, as Bolin shoveled the food into his mouth as fast as he could, barely taking the time to dip it in ketchup.

About halfway through the plate he slowed down, actually taking time to breath and asked,

"So uh, what were you doing when I was gone?"

"Worrying."

"Well besides that."

"I spent some time looking for you and Pabu, but then when I couldn't find you I-" he stopped when he saw Bolins face at the mention of Pabu. He put down the spoon down as he spaced off looking at his half empty plate.

"Sorry Bolin I-"

"No its fine. I'm just- I'm not really hungry anymore I guess." He stood before slumping out of the kitchen to his room.

Angry at himself for mentioning the animal Mako rubbed his eyes.

"Damnit." he muttered  
Sighing he grabbed Bolins plate and wrapped tin foil around it before sticking it in the fridge.  
Heading to his own room he shut the door behind him. Taking off his shirt, he was about ready to throw it in the hamper when he saw the dark stains on the blue fabric near the bottom.  
He was confused for a moment until he remembered Bolin falling into him, while holding Pabu when he first got home. He figured Bolin must have been too out of it to point out the blood. That wasn't very sanitary though, especially since he was cooking.  
Oh damnit, thinking of the dog had remined him; Pabu was still by the bathroom.

He left his room with a sigh, taking his shirt with him. Walking past the deceased animal he filled the sink with water and put his shirt in it to soak, hoping the blood wouldn't stain his favorite article of clothing too badly.  
Turning back he stared at the towel-wrapped animal. Now what was he going to do? Bolin would probably want to bury Pabu in the backyard or something, it'd most likely end up stinking by the morning though.  
He rubbed his eyes. Taking the animal he grabbed several more towels and wrapped them around it. He figured he could put it in the tub with a few ice bags, after he took a shower and got this blood off him that is.


End file.
